


"Loving Hearts Enthrone Him"

by farad



Series: Christmas Carols [8]
Category: Magnificent Seven (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-22
Updated: 2012-12-22
Packaged: 2017-11-22 01:23:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/604268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/farad/pseuds/farad
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>December 27</p>
            </blockquote>





	"Loving Hearts Enthrone Him"

**Author's Note:**

> Set the Christmas after "Obsession"; thanks to Kayim, Huntersglenn, JoJo, and Dail for the beta. Thanks also to Zeke Black and her awesome Magnificent Seven Handbook, with transcripts, pictures of the clothes the boys wore, and every thing else, and the people at Daybook for their quick answers to my specific detail needs! All mistakes my very own.

_**"So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh,** _

_**Come peasant, king to own Him;** _

_**The King of kings salvation brings,** _

_**Let loving hearts enthrone Him."** _

 

\--from "What Child Is This?", verse three,

lyrics written by William Chatterton Dix in 1865,

set to the 16th century music of "Greensleeves"

 

"I could do this all day," AnnaMae sighed as her breathing slowed. She rested her head on his chest, strands of her long black hair tickling his skin.

 

Buck squeezed her, like the way her skin felt against his. "I could, too," he said, and he wanted to, he truly did.

 

But it wasn't right, not today. Even when she ran her fingers along his thigh a few minutes later, even when his blood quickened and he felt the familiar stirrings in his groin, a bigger part of his mind interrupted.

 

Which was why he groaned and turned over, rolling up against her and kissing her full on the mouth. "I could do it all day, darling, but I promised the boys I'd pull my fair share at the jail, and I need to get right on over there."

 

"You got to go to work?" AnnaMae said, her tone just high enough to be a whine. "But you're the sheriff – can't you get someone else to do it? It's not every day that I get to have a morning off, not this time of year."

 

It was true enough, he knew from personal experience; Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and even the day after Christmas were busy days for women who made their living off entertaining lonely men. things didn't usually slow down until the 27th or so, when everything started getting back to normal.

 

But that was why he had to leave. This was a morning that was special to him, just because of that. "Sorry, darling, but duty calls. You get your self some rest, or do something special. Gloria Potter had some of them special soaps on sale – the ones that didn't sale for Christmas." He kissed her on the forehead as he gently rolled her away. "Bet you'd like a nice long bath, get you all warm and good-smelling." He pushed back the blankets and had a second thought about getting out of bed when the chill of the air hit him. But he wanted a bath, too, needed one after the way they'd spent the past night.

 

It was going to be colder outside, the cold of the past few days still hanging on. Maybe no ice this morning, at least, not this late. But as he pulled on his longjohns, half listening to AnnaMae's chatter, he glanced out the window. Sunny, but more clouds coming. And it was early enough that the ground sparkled with ice.

 

His shins throbbed with the thought of it, and he grimaced as he pulled cloth over the bruises. He'd have to be careful on the stairs again today, no need to bust his shins because of the damned ice.

 

Which made him think of Nathan and the conversation they'd had on Christmas morning. He wondered how the other man was doing, if he'd gotten a special reward for his special present to Rain. Those two were good for each other, in the same way Chris and Sara had been good for each other. It was a good thought, but a sad one, and one that led him once more back to Chris.

 

"You will be back tonight, won't you?" AnnaMae sat up in the bed, pulling the blankets tight around her. "Late, I mean. Business should settle down for the next couple of days, until the weekend. Come by late and we'll have a nightcap."

 

Buck was pulling on his shirt, buttoning it as he looked around the floor for his boots. "I can't make promises, you know how things can get here at night, but I will surely try." He leaned down and pulled the boots out from under the bed, stepping into them as he looked for his vest and jacket.

 

He leaned over the bed to kiss her goodbye, carefully avoiding her smiling lips; if she got her mouth on his, he'd be doing this all over again in an hour or so.

 

He made it out of her room and down the hall, staying quiet as he possible; most of the patrons here were late sleepers and didn't take kindly to being roused unnecessarily. Downstairs, only Essie, the house's keeper, was up, and she waved to him, offering him coffee and a biscuit. He shook his head but thanked her and made his way to the back door. No need to advertise where he'd spent the night – not that everyone in town didn't know what this house was, but it was poor manners to throw it in the face of the 'good people' of the town. And even worse to embarrass the nice ladies who welcomed him here. They'd worked hard to be as quiet about it as possible, so as not to get run out of town. And ff there was anything his ma had taught him . . .

 

He sighed as he closed the back door behind him and stood for a second on the top stair. His ma.

 

He'd told Vin about his ma and Christmas, which was probably why she was so close to his mind right now. Probably. But then again, she was always close to his mind this time of the year.

 

He made his way carefully off the back porch, tired of busting his shins. The ice on the road was thinner this morning, but from the look of the clouds gathering, they afternoon might see another storm. The thought made him shiver. And sigh.

 

He needed to do something. He'd been in town now for five days. It had been good, as Christmas always was. Ezra and JD, Josiah and Nathan, Mary, Gloria, Casey – lord, Casey. He smiled as he walked along the alley toward the main street. Casey was something else. Her present for JD, that everybody in town seemed to have some part in or know about, yet JD had no idea. The look on his face yesterday morning when he'd gotten that tray full of food, just like his ma used to make for their special celebration – hell, he'd walked around the whole day with that look on his face.

 

Buck had seen that look before, the look of a man in love. Not infatuated, not caught up in the moment. In love.

 

Chris had looked like that, the day he'd realized he was in love with Sara.

 

"Morning, Buck!"

 

Buck looked toward the voice and smiled as he saw Gloria sweeping off her boardwalk. He made his way over, digging into his pockets for some coins that he remembered having. "Morning!" he said brightly. "You're looking mighty chipper this fine morning!"

 

She smiled at him. "You'd flirt with a wall, wouldn't you," she said teasing. "What's got you out and about so early?"

 

"Is it early?" he asked, ducking to look up at the sky. "Why, I believe you're right! I need to get myself back into bed!"

 

She laughed then, shaking her broom at him.

 

"That was a mighty nice thing y'all did for JD," he said, straightening up. "Meant a lot to him – to me, too. Christmas is a hard time of year to be without family."

 

Gloria's smile softened. "It is," she agreed. "This was the second year without John. The children miss him something fierce. So do I. My mother wanted us to come back there, to Kentucky, at least for Christmas but, I . . ." She paused and looked away.

 

Buck leaned in close, dropping a hand on her shoulder. "Afraid you won't come back?" he said. "It ain't easy for a women out here alone. My ma - well, she had me on her own. It weren't easy. She talked sometimes about picking up and going back home."

 

Gloria looked back at him and nodded. "But she didn't."

 

He shook his head. "No, ma'am, she didn't." He didn't say that she hadn't had the choice, her pa wouldn't have taken her back.

 

"She's dead, isn't she." Her voice was softer now, and Buck blinked, caught off-guard. "Can't imagine that you wouldn't be with her if she weren't," Gloria went on. "You're a good son, Buck, a good man. She'd be proud of you."

 

The words took his breath, made his stomach do a little roll. He swallowed, trying to find something to say, but all he could do was replay her words over and over in his head.

 

Someone came up behind him, calling out to Gloria and asking after her Christmas. She answered, words that Buck barely heard, then she walked past him and into the store, patting him lightly on the shoulder along the way.

 

'She'd be proud of you.' Would she? He'd almost gotten JD killed because he couldn't believe that a woman was capable of cold-blooded murder. Chris, his best friend, had almost died because Buck couldn't see how bad Ella Gaines truly was, couldn't see that she, too, was a cold-blooded murdering bitch.

 

He'd almost gotten himself killed because he couldn't see past his own pride, couldn't see past protecting a woman he hadn't, then, known at all. He'd run out on a young lady claiming that he was the father of her child. He had gone back, only to find out that it wasn't his, which had been both a blessing and curse.

 

He'd watched someone die that he cared about, something he hadn't expected to love, but he had.

 

And he'd thought he was, himself, in love enough to want to settle down. Sometimes, he thought about Louisa, too, wondering where she was, if she was happy now. Wondering if he'd made a big mistake in letting her go. Wondering if he'd looked that way when he'd been with her, the way that JD looked yesterday. The way Chris had looked a lifetime ago.

 

"Buck?" He turned to find Maybelle standing in the door of the restaurant, frowning at him. "You all right?"

 

He smiled at her and nodded. "Just thinking," he said. "Must be too early, though, 'cause it's taking all my attention."

 

She shook her head but smiled. "You want coffee and breakfast? We got a few biscuits left and I can get you a fried egg."

 

"Thanks," he said, "but I think I want to take a bath and get warmed up first." And cleaned up.

 

"Well, we'll be here when you get back – and it will be lunch by then! We got chicken soup with potatoes, nice and warm!"

 

He smiled at her, but he was thinking of his ma; she'd have liked Louisa, but she wouldn't have wanted Buck to marry her. So it was a good thing he hadn't. She'd have liked Hilda, too, because Hilda had loved Buck. Doted on him. Treated him like his ma had.

 

The bath was long and hot but he hardly noticed, his attention on his own wandering thoughts. On what Gloria had said.

 

"You're mighty quiet there, Buck," Elmer, the bath house owner, said as Buck dressed. "Christmas get the better of you?"

 

Buck grinned at him as he put on his clothes. He needed to get to his room and put on clean ones, maybe take some clothes to the laundry. "Reckon it did, at that," he said with a smile. "All that good cheer just wears a man out!"

 

"That what they call it now? 'Good cheer'?" Elmer teased.

 

"It does cheer a man up!" Buck laughed, waving as he left the bath house. He walked the short distance to the boarding house, nodding and smiling to people passing by, tipping his hat as necessary. He was happy, he realized, but something was missing. His ma wanted Buck to be happy – he knew that surely as he knew the sun came up in the east and set in the west. She'd have wanted him to be as happy as Chris had been with Sara, as happy as JD was with Casey.

 

But she also knew Buck. Because, he realized, he was just like her, and she'd never been happy with just one man. That was what had finally killed her, a man who couldn't accept that he couldn't be the only one.

 

"Buck? Have you seen a ghost?"

 

He turned to find Ezra sitting on his horse, looking down at Buck. "You been out riding?" Buck asked, though the answer was obvious.

 

Surprisingly, Ezra didn't comment on it. Instead, he tilted his head to one side so that the brim of his hat sheltered his eyes. "Christmas errands," Ezra said. "You look as if something bad has happened."

 

Buck smiled up at him. "Nope. In fact, I think I've just figured out something good, something I've been puzzling over for a long time without knowing it."

 

Ezra looked at him for a long moment, then he said, "Christmas does have that effect on people. Would you like a celebratory drink?"

 

Buck shook his head. "Not right now. I think - I think I need to take a ride myself. Ponder on it some more."

 

Ezra smiled and nodded, as if knowing something that Buck didn't. "Then I shall see you upon your return," he said, edging his horse along toward the livery.

 

Buck nodded turning to make his way to the boarding house and clean clothes.

 

Christmas had always been special to his ma, not just the day itself but the whole season. She got to spend Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, even the day after, Boxing Day as JD called it, with all the people she loved, her friends: men, some who were clients, others who weren't; women who she lived with, worked with, and shared her life with. And Buck, the one person in her life who she loved most.

 

The 27th, though, was the day that she held just for him, and that, he understood, was what he was missing now. He was missing her, the one person who meant the most to him. He could never have her back.

 

But there were six others how had come to mean almost as much to him. He'd seen Ezra, JD, Josiah, and Nathan a lot these past days. He'd seen less of Vin and Chris. They were missing their special people too, even if, in Vin's case, he tried to deny it.

 

Buck changed quickly, made a quick stop by the saloon to pick up a bottle of whiskey, and then he was off to the livery.

 

Today, he needed to find the two who were missing from his collection of special friends. They might be together, though he doubted it, in which case, he'd search them both out. Not to help them, not to worry over them, but because he wanted to do it for himself. In memory of his ma and the time he'd had with her.

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
